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Welcome Home Veterans Parade slated for Sept. 15

The Leaf-Chronicle
Published 4:25 p.m. CT Aug. 26, 2016

The Welcome Home Veterans Parade will be at 10 a.m. on Thursday, September 15 at Liberty Park.(Photo: Submitted)

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Clarksville is proud to host its second annual Welcome Home Veterans Parade on Thursday, September 15 at Liberty Park. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. and is open to all Veterans.

“Originally created to honor Vietnam Veterans, the parade now a tribute by Vietnam Veterans to all American Heroes. This is a day for families, friends and all citizens to salute the service and sacrifices made by America’s Military,” said Visit Clarksville Board Chairman Louisa Cooke. “We invite everyone who can to join us to recognize every branch of the service – every man and women who served will be honored.”

Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) President John Rowan and Country Music Recording Artist Lee Greenwood will serve as parade grand marshalls.
Rowan was first elected to VVA’s highest office in 2005 and has remained active with VVA since the organization’s inception in 1978. Rowan enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1965, where he went to language school and learned Indonesian and Vietnamese. He served as a linguist in the U.S. Air Force’s 6990 Security Squadron in Vietnam and at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, providing the Strategic Air Command with intelligence on North Vietnam’s SAM sites to protect their bombing missions. After leaving the Air Force, Rowan received a B.A. in political science from Queens College and a master’s degree in urban affairs from Hunter College. Rowan retired from city service as an investigator with the City of New York’s Comptroller’s Office.

Greenwood has more than 30 albums to his credit, including seven #1 songs and 25 charted singles. He has won numerous industry awards including, Male Vocalist of the year for the Academy of Country Music in 1983, two Male Vocalist of the Year awards from the Country Music Association, 1983 and 1984 and a Grammy for Top Male Vocal Performance in 1985 for “I.O.U.”. He also won CMA Song of the Year in 1985 for writing “God Bless the USA.” The song, “God Bless the USA” has been voted the most recognizable patriotic song in America. The singer knows first-hand what it’s like to have loved ones fighting for the freedom of all Americans as his father served in the Navy & the Merchant Marine in World War II. “USA” is now part of the film for Homeland Security shown when swearing in new citizens to the United States.

The parade will feature local ROTC groups, high school marching bands, Team Fast Trax skydivers and the 101st Airborne Division Band and Color Guard. Other festivities during the week, designed by the local Convention & Visitors Bureau to help attract motor coach business, include evening entertainment, a remembrance ceremony and a free lunch following the parade for any Veteran. Veterans should register for the lunch online at https://welcomehomevietnam.com/veteran-registrar/. The lunch will be held at the Wilma Rudolph Event Center immediately following the parade.
Evening concerts will take place September 11-15 and open to the public if seats remain available. Performing during the week are Greenwood, comedian Jeanne Robertson, a 1966 USO Tribute Show, The Motown Sounds of Touch and The Avalon’s. To learn more about details and cost for each, please visit www.visitclarksvilletn.com/concerts.

To date, 10 motor coach groups from Georgia, Alabama, Iowa, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas and Louisiana are scheduled to attend events during the week.